Wow, you guys have been great. I really appreciate all of the feedback. I have in fact had an opportunity to have a little hands on with the 7D, and it feels great in my hands. I guess I am a little concerned that it is an "Older" camera, but at the same time I assume that a beginner could do worse. Am I wrong?

It sounds as if no one here has any issues with buying factory refurbs. Does this apply to the lenses as well? I'm excited and nervous at the same time, but really looking forward to learning a new hobby/skill.

I bought the 7D about 8 months ago, one of the main reasons being that it felt great in my hands. I had a 600D/T3i which Canon botched up in a repair, so the store I bought it from gave me a full refund + compensation. I have arthritis in my hands/fingers & although the 600D is a great little camera, some of the controls were becoming difficult for me to use being small & close together. The 7D may be heavier, but even with longer lenses it is so well ballanced I don't notice that much. Of course it is fairly old in camera terms, I like to think of it in terms of having stood the test of time, & still selling well.

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lee uk.There are old pilots, & there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots.

I guess a better question for me to ask would be will the 7D be obsolete any time soon? I know it's apples to oranges, but would it be analogous to buying a outdated computer. Will the technology still be relevant 2 or 3 years from now?